Frontier Stories

WhosWho

Alliance, The

The Alliance was formed in Alioth (0,4) in 3230 after an uprising there against the Federation and Imperial forces which were disputing possession of the system. Following the total victory of the rebel forces, the Alliance was born, and spread to many neighbouring independent systems who applied to join. It is effectively the third superpower, although nowhere near as powerful as the two big powers. It maintains a position of neutrality in the Cold War.

Argent, Meredith

Meredith Argent is the owner of the large shipbuilding corporation Argent Aerodynamics Amalgamated Inc. She is very rich, and is rumoured to have considerable influence in the running of the Alliance.

Argent Aerodynamics Amalgamated Inc (AAAI)

AAAI are the biggest shipyard in the Alliance, and have created many new ships, including the Saker Mk 3. They are based at New Rossyth in Alioth (0,4).

Astrogator Corporation

Astrogator are in the business of luxury travel. They are the galaxy’s premier carriers, and all of the famous people travel on Astrogator because of the huge prestige being able to do so due to the huge prices charged by the corporation. They are famed for their exclusive right to use goldskin leather in their ships (purchased at considerable expense from the planetary government of Home, Bedaho [-4,-2]), which makes the interiors of their already well-appointed liners even more spectacular. They recently moved to their own corporate system, and are based at Juddport in Uroland (-6,-3). Under the stewardship of their chairman, Maximillian Judd, they have a reputation for cast iron integrity, and therefore they are one of the few corporations whose accounting department isn’t based in Miphize (1,-14).

Church of Kumbayar, The

Cisco Corporation

The Cisco Corporation became rich initially through a patented terraforming method, and have subsequently diversified. One of their more famous operations is the Cisco Theme Park on New California in Epsilon Eridani (1,0). They are also involved in deep space exploration for commercially exploitable systems.

Core Industrial Corporation

Core Industrial Corporation is the Federation’s biggest manufacturing company, and its headquarters are in Olympus Village, Sol (0,0). It is famous for being one of the very first of the big corporations, and as such commands high respect in the rest of industry and in the circles of power.

It is often the case that high-up Federal officials find a place on the board of the Corporation after they leave office. Such a ‘revolving door’ policy has been severely criticised in the past, and it is claimed that many people in the corridors of power have arranged for Core to get lucrative contracts in order to obtain secure employment should they be removed from office.

One of its main interests is ship manufacture, and one of its more famous products is the Asp Explorer.

Duval, Hengist

Hengist Duval has a great number of titles, the most commonly known one of which is Emperor of Man. He is the absolute ruler of the Empire, and therefore is widely seen as the most powerful man in the universe.

Duval, Harold

The playboy son and heir of the Emperor, Prince Harold spends most of his time enjoying himself, and is a keen gambler. He owns the planet of O’Hanlon’s claim in the system of Essaa (1,-5).

Emperor, The

See Duval, Hengist.

Empire, The

The Empire was formed after the defeat of the Federation in the Battle of Achenar (1,-4) in the 2320s when the Federation had sent a war fleet in response to the alleged elimination of a sentient race by private colonists on Achenar 6d (now known as Capitol). The Empire spread from Achenar to surrounding worlds during the 2330s, and the wars between the Federation and Empire continued until the 2380s when a peace treaty was signed between the two powers.

Imperial systems are almost all strictly capitalist in nature, and it is legal to buy just about everything, the line normally being drawn at Nerve Gas. The pace of Imperial expansion has not been as rapid in recent years as it once was, although the Empire seems to be maintaining a high military presence in the Far Systems.

Faulcon DeLacy

Originally known as Faulcon Manspace and based in Reorte (-3,-5), the corporation won the contract to design a police ship, and created the Viper, which was to earn the company a large amount of money. The next few years saw a remarkable series of mergers and acquisitions which enabled them to become one of the biggest corporations around.

They decided to buy Paynou, Prossett and Salem in 2888 because they wanted to get into the lucrative ‘one man trader’ market, and they acquired the Cobra Mk 1 from that merger. A merger with deLacy ShipWorks of Inines, who manufactured the Krait, in 3034 saw them change their name to the more familiar Faulcon de Lacy. Their corporate headquarters was moved to Olympus Village on Mars in Sol (0,0).

Following the debacle of the Cobra Mk 2, they sub-contracted the Cobra Mk 3 to Cowell & MgRath Shipyards of Lave (-3,-6) while they replaced their entire R&D department. Faulcon DeLacy bought Cowell & MgRath in 3113 and brought the Mk 3 back in house. In 3126, they took over the designers of the Fer-de-Lance, the Zorgon Petterson Group.

It is generally believed that had their best ship, the Fer-de-Lance, not been outlawed by all of the police forces for being too powerful, Faulcon DeLacy would probably be much larger than they are. However they made a lot of money from sales of the Eagle Long Range Fighter, and income from the design rights purchased by the designers of the Mk 2 and Mk 3 of that ship. Their recent replacement for the now aging Viper, the Viper Mk 2, could be a big earner.

Federal Military

The Federal Military is the force that protects the Federation, and helps to enforce peace in the more unstable systems bordering the Federation. The current improvements in relations with the Empire has meant that there is less scope for actual combat with the Imperial Navy.

Federation, The

The Federation was formed after a battle between forces from Earth and Tau Ceti after the later were making several alien species extinct. Initial members were Earth (0,0), Tau Ceti (0,0), Delta Pavonis (0,-2), Altair (-2,1) and Beta Hydri (0,-2). Federation systems mainly operate among democratic lines, and ‘socially unacceptable’ goods are banned, the precise types varying from system to system.

FIFA

No-one is quite sure what the initials stand for, but the widely accepted interpretation is Federation of Inter-planetary Football Associations. It is the governing body for the game of Association Football (also known in the more backward independent systems as soccer), and as such presides over one of the most popular sports in the inhabited systems.

The Galactic Cup is held every four years, and the current Champions are Achenar (1,-4), after they beat Earth by a disputed goal. It is claimed that the ball was punched into the net by Achenar’s star striker Iago Donnamara, but when asked about the incident he cryptically remarked that it was “the Hand of the Emperor.”

Foam Metals Corporation

Griddley, ‘Colonel’ Maxwell

Colonel Maxwell Griddley is best known as a big-game hunter, but has also been known to do other work. Unusually, there is no record of a Colonel Griddley in the records of the Federal Military or any other military organization. There is a rumour that Griddley is not his real name, and it has been suggested that he was connected to a covert organization. He retired to Honda in Alkaid (-4,10) in 3197.

Guardians of the Free Spirit, The

The Guardians of the Free Spirit are an isolationist religious sect, who believe in maximum hardship. They live underground on several planets of the system of Van Maanen’s Star (0,1), which was given to the sect by the Federation in 2480. They have outlawed a huge amount of goods, in the belief that they are offensive in the eyes of God. It is illegal to visit the system without a permit.

Gupta Industrial Corporation

Gupta Industrial Corporation is mainly involved in the manufacture of high-tech weaponry, especially battle weapons. Gupta have several major manufacturing sites in the independent systems, and supply anyone who wants to buy their products – politics mean nothing to Gupta, money is everything. They recently decided to get involved in the space ship industry buy buying Gerege Federation Space Works, producers of the Boa.

Gutamaya Corporation

An Imperial Corporation, Gutamaya’s main interests are in mining and ship manufacture. They make the Eagle Mk 3, and the ‘Imperial’ series of ships. It has been suggested that one of the reasons why corporation get so many contracts to build ships for the Imperial Navy is that Price Hector Duval, fourth in line for the Imperial Throne, is CEO of the company.

Imperial Navy

The fighting force of the Empire, the Imperial Navy is one of the most feared forces in the galaxy. It has a high standard of professionalism, and successful commanders enjoy high status in Imperial society. The force is famed for its unique rank structure, which reflects the feudal nature of the Empire with ranks from Serf to Prince. The force is split into a number of sections called Protectorates, which are responsible for various areas of the galaxy.

Ingram

Ingram have been in the laser business for a very long time, and just about every pilot in the known universe will have used, or know someone who used, an Ingram laser. They produce both pulse and beam lasers, and have recently developed the 20 and 100MW Beam Lasers. It had looked at one time like the company were in serious danger of being victims of Lance & Ferman’s success, but the banning of the Military Laser removed the main threat to their sales. It is rumoured that Ingram spent a large amount of credits ‘persuading’ the authorities to come to that decision.

INRA

During the Thargoid Wars, the two big powers formed a joint military organization called INRA to fight the Thargoids. The INRA pilots were the best in both navies, and it was common for INRA officers to hold equivalent rank in both navies. INRA still exist in the background, and there is a lot of speculation as to what the role of INRA is now that the Thargoids have gone. Rumours persist that the real function of INRA is to suppress the truth about the real reasons for the defeat of the Thargoids.

J-Corp

J-Corp is one of the mysteries of the corporate universe. It doesn’t seem to do anything on the surface, and has been investigated a considerable number of time by the police, who are convinced that there’s something funny going on. Large quantities of money arrive in the J-Corp accounts as cash, and then are broken up into many different investments. Identical quantities leave the main account after a short period, again as cash, and then are paid in as cash to banks run by other corporations. This money then comes out as cash, and is flown by courier to banks which, for some reason, always seem to be in highly unstable systems.

One such courier run was undertaken by a Commander Maharg Jr, and was followed by undercover agents in the employ of the major police forces. The courier went though a large number of systems, heading south. He was doggedly pursued by the agents all the way to Miphize, where the agents were considerably delayed by a large Tri-Alliance raiding party. By the time they landed at York Starport, they had lost track of Maharg, but they were told he was seen heading in the direction of the Bank of Miphize. They set off hot foot for the bank, only to witness a spectacular explosion as the Bank was hit by a burst of shellfire from the MLA forces who were trying to hit a CPM gunner on the roof. The agents gave up in disgust as the evidence went with the bank, and they returned to report to their employers.

No-one has managed to find out who owns the corporation, and it has been said that the key to finding that out is what the ‘J’ stands for. It has been suggested that the J stands for Jades, but this has never been proved. It could also stand for Janus, which may mean that J-Corp is an INRA front company. Whatever, the last journalist who tried to investigate in depth met with a quick end at the hands of the pilot of a heavily armed Boa, registered as BB-122.

Jjagged Bbanner

Jjagged Bbanner are perhaps the most famous music group in the human systems. Their Dreamware products dominate the charts, and they spend a lot of money on the fun things of life. They sponsor the Wiccan Ware race, held every ten years, in which commanders try to be the fastest to take one of JB’s recordings from Old Curie in Gateway (-1,4) to Ghandi in Alioth (0,4).

Lance & Ferman

L&F are perhaps best known for their popular range of missiles, and have enjoyed a major technology lead over other firms in their field for as long as most commanders can remember. Their lasers division designed the Military Laser, which was marketed under the slogan “Do your mother a favour – buy a Lance & Ferman Military Laser!!”

When the Police banned the military laser, it looked like L&F’s profits would be severely dented, but they developed the immensely powerful (and expensive) Plasma Accelerators. The Police have not banned them because they believe that the huge costs involved are way out of reach of the majority of pirates.

Miphize Liberation Army

The MLA was formed in the massive popular uprising against the Communist Party of Miphize (which itself was formed in a rebellion against the original government of Miphize), and dedicated itself to punishing the CPM for betraying the principles on which the system’s government had been formed.

New Rossyth Shipyards

NRS are the retail side of AAAI and sell and maintain ships, most famously the Saker Mk. 3. Headquartered at New Rossyth, Alioth (0,4), they recently stopped offering guarantees on their ships in order to cut costs – changing their motto from “It’s A Huge Universe, But You’re Never Alone With New Rossyth Shipyards!” to “It’s A Huge Universe, Good Luck Out There!”

Organization, The

No-one is quite sure what The Organization are, but they seem to be connected to organised crime in some way. Interestingly, they are also credited as the designers of the Constrictor.

Perez Corporation

Marketed under the fairly catchy slogan “Perez’s the name, combat’s the game”, the Perez corporation are in the business of war. They produce everything you’ll need – hand weapons, battle weapons, fighters and mercenaries. The corporation have been implicated in several revolutions, and they armed the Rebels in the conflict at Alioth (0,4) which led to the foundation of the Alliance. The corporation has its headquarters in Zaonce (-2,-6), which is one of the foremost independent industrial systems. Perez are believed to be making considerable profits from supplying the various factions in the civil war in Ayqugre (-6,-6), a rumour which the corporation has made no attempt to deny.

Rockforth Corporation

The Rockforth Corporation are based in Ackwada (-5,-3), and run a huge number of casinos and other gambling concerns. They are run by Thompson Thompsonson, and make huge amounts of money from enterprises throughout human space. There are several rumours of the corporation being involved in criminal activity, particularly related to the Thompsonsons, but these have always been denied. The corporation is very sensitive to criticism, with people making potentially damaging allegations being sued for everything they own or vanishing without trace.

Rush Corporation

Seventh (Far Systems) Protectorate

The 7th Protectorate is one of the Imperial Navy’s most respected (and feared) fleets. Although command of the Protectorate assigned to safeguard the Emperor himself is theoretically the post with the most glory, most Imperial commanders are believed to covert command of the 7th more, since they usually get a much more free hand and also the 7th gets to see more action (the former Protectorate spending most of it’s time in Achenar with nothing to do except keeping smart).

The 7th are based mainly in Laedla (-4,1), which is the Empire’s northern-most major base. During the Thargoid War the 7th were in the forefront of the struggle against the Alien, and gained their reputation there. Although there is considerably less action now that the Thargoids have gone for good, the 7th regularly cruise the Northern Frontier in a peacekeeping capacity, making sure that no pirates or other assorted criminals get ideas above their station. This is used by High Command to answer those critics who say that with the Thargoids gone there is no point the 7th being there at all, and that they are in fact keeping an eye on the Alliance.

Sirius Corporation

Founded in Sirius (1,0) during the 2350s, it was the Sirius Corporation who developed military fuel as a commercial product. The discovery attracted a lot of interest from the Federation, and their ships were converted to use the new fuel. This caused an improvement in the fortunes of the Federal Military, but this advantage only lasted a few years until the Empire acquired similar technology.

It later emerged that the Sirius Corporation had decided to supply both sides, and had engineered convenient shortages if it looked like one side was winning. This effectively prolonged the war, and enabled Sirius to increase its riches. Now that the wars have ended, they have diversified into the civilian market, particularly the provision of dreamware.

Tri-Alliance, The

The Tri-Alliance is shrouded in mystery, but seems to have been most active during the Thargoid Wars. As such, it seems to have been a predecessor of sorts to INRA, but was (is?) highly unofficial. It seems to be composed of vigilantes, who were mainly linked with preemptive strikes on Thargoid bases, a practice which was outlawed under the Garlane Convention. There are rumours that they also collaborated with pirates.

What is known is that almost all of the pilots known to have connections to the Tri-Alliance are ranked as Elite with the Elite Federation of Pilots. It has recently been rumoured that INRA have been using Tri-Alliance pilots to conduct ‘black operations’ Given the secretive nature of the main section of INRA, what these operations involve can only be guessed at.

Turner, Mic

Joint owner of AAAI and the designer of the Saker Mk 3, Mic Turner is also a keen explorer of space, and often takes time off from his work to travel to new systems.

Valhallian Democratic Peace Party, The

One of the most ludicrously misnamed political bodies known, the VDPP are in fact the ruling party on the planet Valhalla in Tiliala (-4,-1). The dictatorship is led by the dictator Augustus Checkin, who is also head of the Secret Police. The unpopular government is opposed by the banned Valhallian Liberation Army.

Valhallian Liberation Army, The

The opposition to the VDPP, the VLA has an armed wing and a political wing. Both sections are lead by the Rast family, with Dentara Rast leading the armed wing. Like other opposition parties on Valhalla, the VLA are banned by the ruling party.

Vega Line Corporation

This corporation is based in Vega (-3,2), and has major interests in tourism, leisure and agriculture. Rumours that a large percentage of the agricultural output of the Corporation (Animal Skins and Live Animals) is sold almost exclusively to systems where they are illegal have been vigorously denied. It has been suggested that the large number of assassinations of Vega Line Corp. personnel during the first half of this century were aimed at least in part to prevent this news spreading, or as a disciplinary measure aimed at people who had brought the corporation into dispute. Vega Line also have begun to construct ships, a sector which is bringing major new income to the corporation.

Walden, Dr

The dictator of Lave (-3,-6), Dr Walden has been in power for a long time, and rules the system with an iron hand. There are a number of stories of how Walden became the ruler of Lave, but the most likely one seems to be that Walden came to Lave as a botanist, researching the famous Lavian tree grub. He found favour with the then ruler of Lave, Matthew Major, and was appointed as scientific advisor. Over the years that followed, he became popular with most of the government, and began to take part in the various intrigues going on behind Major’s back.

Walden made his way up to be the deputy president of Lave, and was given a caretaker job while Major went to a conference of the heads of the independent states in the region that was going to be at Zaonce (-2,-6), accompanied by a guard of his best pilots flying Fer-De-Lances. What happened to Major after leaving Lave is a mystery. He never arrived at the conference, but all of his escort docked with minimal damage. It is said that the entire formation misjumped, and were met by a heavily armed Tri-Alliance formation, who were under orders to kill Major. The escorts, rather than help Major, also began shooting at his ship, and Major perished in the battle.

Whatever the truth is, Walden took control of the government of Lave with no resistance, and has been in charge ever since. The unusual thing about Walden is that he has been in charge for about 70 years, but does not look any older than 40. His appearance has never changed from when he first arrived in the system, and there is speculation that he is not really human. This impression was further enhanced by his surviving an assassination attempt where the would-be killers used a canister of deadly nerve gas, only to see Walden leave the room unscathed. The attempt was an outside job, probably funded by pirates, as the people of Lave love their leader.

Werner Industrial Corporation

Werner Industrial Corporation are a very high tech company, and are the galaxy’s biggest computer supplier. They also make robots for a large variety of purposes, and their main customers are the militaries of all sides. They have recently moved into the lucrative dreamware market.